Transgenic Crops in Indiana:
Short-term issues for farmers

Whats in a Name?

The phrase "genetically modified organism" and its acronym "GMO", as
they are being used in debates throughout the world, refer primarily to those
crop varieties that contain genes physically transferred from another species.
Such crop varieties are more accurately described as being "transgenic" and
will be referred to as such in this short article.

Transgenics as Agronomic Inputs for
Indiana Farmers.

First of all, lets recognize that insect-resistant or
herbicide-tolerant varieties are NOT CRITICAL for the successful production of
corn and soybean in Indiana! In other words, growing non-transgenics will not
result in economic ruin for most Indiana farmers!

Secondly, you do NOT need a contract to grow non-transgenic crops if you
are simply growing for the marketplace. In other words, growing non-transgenics
will not automatically require efforts to segregate and certify non-transgenic
status.

However, if you want to aim for a non-transgenic market premium, you
should arrange for a contract or agreement with the grain buyer to guarantee
that your non-transgenic grain has a home this fall. Also, recognize that
fulfilling such contracts may require you to certify that the grain you harvest
and deliver is non-transgenic. The ramification of this is that producing
certified non-transgenic crops is not cost-free!

The Indiana Crop Improvement
Association (ICIA) will be offering a certification service for
non-transgenic corn hybrids in 2000. The ICIA certification guidelines for 2000
corn production include

Records and/or confirmation of the non-transgenic status of the seed
source.

Land requirements or restrictions on previous crop.

Some minimum isolation distance from the nearest transgenic corn
field.

Field inspections by ICIA staff during the growing season.

Field grain sample inspections by ICIA staff.

For more information on ICIAs certification service, contact them
by phone at (765) 523-2535 or by email at icia@indianacrop.org .

Should You Grow Transgenics or
Not?

Indiana growers must determine the balance between the agronomic costs,
agronomic benefits and market uncertainties of producing transgenic crop
varieties in 2000. Two general examples of this balancing act are:

The cost of the technology is simple to figure, it is simply the
"technology fee" added to the seed cost by the seed company. Determining the
agronomic benefit of the technology is more difficult to ascertain. Commonly
available sources of information about these benefits include magazine or TV
marketing pieces, sales pitches by company sales representatives, and
testimonials by folks who have used the technology in the past. All of these
sources should be taken with the proverbial "grain of salt".

What farmers should strive to obtain are actual performance data
comparing the transgenic varieties of interest with alternative non-transgenic
varieties. Ideally, these data should be summarized from trials conducted over
many locations and/or years.

In my opinion, the best way to use such data sets is to compare the
top-yielding transgenic varieties in a trial with the top-yielding
non-transgenic varieties in the same trial. Comparisons to "normal"
counterparts or to "top-selling" competitors are not necessarily "fair"
comparisons because these varieties are not always the "latest and greatest"
varieties. This fact is important because you need to determine whether the
transgenic variety in question yields as good or better than the best available
variety in todays marketplace.

Example of Bt Corn.

These hybrids are resistant to European corn borer (ECB), and
southwestern corn borer found in the extreme southern counties of Indiana, by
virtue of the transfer of a gene from a soil bacterium, Bacillus
thuringiensis, that codes for the production of a protein that is toxic to
such insects. The Bt trait, by itself, does not increase yield of corn. Rather,
it is an "insurance" trait that confers protection from the pest when it is
present in the field. In years when the pest is present in subeconomic numbers,
the trait offers little payback to the grower. Based on the low historical
frequencies and severities of ECB outbreaks in Indiana over the past 20 years,
it is difficult to conclude that Bt corn is economical for the average Indiana
corn field considering the higher cost of the seed relative to non-Bt hybrids.
For details supporting this statement, see Purdue Extension publication ID-219,
The Economics
of Bt Corn: Adoption Implications.

If you follow my advice and compare the best yielding Bt hybrids
with the best yielding non-Bt hybrids grown in the same trials, you will
often discover little difference in yields when ECB pressure is minor.
Figure 1 below illustrates the average yields of the top
five yielding Bt and top five yielding non-Bt hybrids summarized from each
testing region of the 1999 Purdue Corn Performance
Trials. In this "best versus the best" comparison, one is hard-pressed to
conclude that the Bt trait offered any yield enhancement in a year with
subeconomic ECB pressure. Similar comparisons of the "best versus the best"
from university trials in
Ohio,
Illinois and
Missouri
in 1999 result in the same conclusion that the Bt trait, in and of itself, does
not result in increased yield.

These comparisons should not be construed to mean that the Bt trait has
no value for Indiana corn growers. Indeed, such an "insurance" trait can be
positioned within your planting date schedule to maximize its opportunity to
defend against ECB outbreaks. Primarily, this means considering the use of Bt
hybrids for those "out of whack" planting dates, because such plantings will
likely suffer more ECB damage. Extremely early corn plantings are often more
"desirable" to first generation ECB moths, while extremely late plantings or
late maturing hybrids are often more "desirable" to second generation or later
ECB moths.

Example of Roundup-Ready
Soybean.

These soybean varieties are tolerant to the broad spectrum herbicide
glyphosate (aka Roundup®). The tolerance results from the transfer of a
gene from a soil bacterium (Agrobacterium sp.) that codes for an enzyme,
usually inhibited by glyphosate, that is critical for the production of three
aromatic amino acids without which plant death occurs. A number of advantages
can be listed for the Roundup-Ready (aka RR) soybean technology,
including:

Good weed control

Potentially lower herbicide cost

More flexibility in the timing of herbicide applications

Less opportunity for herbicidal crop injury

Less management effort on the part of the grower

However, some agronomic challenges to the economic adoption of the
technology also exist, including:

Proper timing of herbicide application to best balance the
opportunity for maximum season-long weed control against the necessity to
control weeds before they have the opportunity to suppress crop yield. Purdue
weed scientists recommend applying the herbicide no later than four weeks after
the crop emergence to best minimize the potential for yield suppression by the
weeds before they are killed.

Evidence exists that the Roundup-Ready soybean technology is
often associated with lower yield potentials. Indeed, data from university variety trials in 1998 indicated that the best
yielding RR soy varieties yielded about four bushels less per acre than the
best yielding non-RR varieties in the same trials. The yield difference was
less in 1999 university trials, but still averaged 2
bushels less per acre.

Bottom Line

The "GMO" debate will likely continue into the near future (12 to 18
months) and will consequently fuel the uncertainty in the grain markets for the
acceptance of such products.

The currently available transgenic hybrids and varieties are not
critical for the agronomic success of most Indiana corn/soy operations.

Consequently, a farmers choice on whether to grow transgenic
hybrids or varieties depends primarily on his/her perception of the market
uncertainties for the coming crop year and the availability of good-yielding
non-transgenic hybrids or varieties.

For other information about corn, take a
look at the Corn Growers Guidebook on the World Wide Web at
http://www.kingcorn.org

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Agronomy Department that all persons shall have equal opportunity and
access to its programs and facilities without regard to race, color, sex,
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employer. This material may be available in alternative formats.